


When the Game Rules Change

by httydfangirl123



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: After Blindsided, Before Shellshocked, F/M, Hiccstrid - Freeform, Hiccstrid secret relationship, Hypnosis, My First Fanfic, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24571033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/httydfangirl123/pseuds/httydfangirl123
Summary: A romantic walk in the forest quickly goes talons up when Hiccup and Astrid are ambushed in the forest. Hiccup is forced to hand himself over to protect Astrid's life, but Viggo plans to use Hiccup against the riders in a way none of them have ever seen before...
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Hiccup ambled to his hut beside Toothless, exhausted.  
"Ugh, it seems like today has gone on forever already, and the sun's only just starting to set! I want to sleep," He absentmindedly opened the door to his hut.

"Shame. I was hoping to spend some time alone with you this evening," Hiccup jumped, seeing Astrid leaning against the doorpost.

"Agh! Astrid, don't make me jump like that!" Astrid chuckled. "Why not? It's fun! Besides, it got you wide awake didn't it?" She nudged Hiccup's arm teasingly "So… do you have enough energy to take a walk in the forest? I mean, if you're too tired we could- "

"No, no, no, I can take a walk with you! I'm not really that tired!" Hiccup backpedalled quickly, stuttering slightly as he spoke. Astrid chuckled again.

"I knew you were going to say that. Anyway, let's get going before it's too dark, shall we?" Astrid smiled at her boyfriend, taking his hand and leading him down towards the forest, leaving Toothless to purr and smile his toothless, dragon-y smile before curling up to rest.

~~~

By the time the two stopped walking, the sky was already as dark as Night Fury scales, and Hiccstrid stopped talking and turned to face each other.  
"You know, I never realise how much I like being alone with you until we're so busy that we can't," Astrid took Hiccup's hands in hers and looked into the emerald eyes that were looking back at her. She noticed his pupils dilating and smiled.

"Same for me, and I don't realise how much energy I have until I have the opportunity to be with you," Hiccup chuckled, causing Astrid to laugh too. Hiccup slowly pulled Astrid closer to him, their lips nearing each other.

"Oh, hurry up, you muttonhead," Astrid laughed, initiating the kiss by planting her lips on his. Hiccup smiled to himself and kissed back. Seconds barely passed, and Astrid found herself with her back against a nearby tree. Hiccup held her waist, and Astrid held his shoulder as they continued, not noticing the slight rustling behind the tree. Until Astrid's eyes widened and she fell limp in Hiccup's arms.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup shouted, falling to his knees and catching her before she hit the ground. He noticed a blow-gun arrow protruding from her shoulder, but didn't have time to pull it out before he heard an all-too-familiar laugh from behind the tree. "Viggo," Hiccup muttered before the Grimborn brother revealed himself.

"Hiccup Haddock III," Viggo chuckled. "Poor you, romance can really fog the mind, hm? Oh, nevermind that, we have business to do."

"I'm not doing any 'business' with you, Viggo." Hiccup growled, holding onto Astrid protectively.

"Oh, your optimism is heart-warming. But I'm afraid, Hiccup, that you don't really have a choice if I'm not mistaken." At this, Dragon Hunters stepped out from the trees, practically encircling the couple. "Your romantic kiss gave us quite the opportunity, one that I couldn't bear to miss. So forgive me Hiccup, but I think you're going to have to leave your girlfriend there and come with us. Or both you and Astrid will face the consequences."

"And what would those consequences be, Viggo?" replied Hiccup, gritting his teeth, though he could already predict the answer.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup, isn't it obvious? I'd have to kill you," Viggo laughed calmly while looking at his fingernails, then frowned and looked the teenager in the eye. "So, Hiccup. What's your choice? Give yourself up, or you both die on the spot. You won't even get to say goodbye to your love before entering Valhalla!" Viggo slowly made his way towards the couple, as Hiccup scowled at him, before reluctantly standing up and glaring at the man. 

"Fine," He muttered, worriedly looking at Astrid before raising his arms up in surrender. Viggo's smug smile turned into a dark smirk as he nodded at two soldiers behind Hiccup, who promptly grabbed his arms, pulled them behind his back, snapped manacles around them and gagged him. Hiccup's glare hardened, but Viggo just chuckled darkly, spinning on his heels and walking in the direction of the beach, and Hiccup was forced to follow.

~~~

The next morning found Hiccup abruptly waking up in a cell, Ryker opening the door. "Morning Hiccup," Ryker ripped the gag off while grabbing his shoulder and pulling him to his feet. "Viggo wants to speak to ya,"

"Oh wow, what a nice surprise!" Hiccup rolled his eyes. Ryker growled and shoved Hiccup out of the cell and down the corridor. The two remained silent as they marched into Viggo's chamber, where the Grimborn brother sat at his desk, smirking.

"Ah, Hiccup Haddock, welcome! Do take a seat," Viggo gestured to the wooden chair in front of him, but Hiccup doesn't have much of a choice as Ryker thrust him into the chair. Hiccup remained silent and glared at his captor. "So, Hiccup, I suppose you're wondering why I brought you here," Hiccup held his glare, not moving a muscle. "Oh, come on Hiccup, give me some quip that I can remember. I'm really going to miss your snappy comebacks." At this, Hiccup raised an eyebrow, much to the pleasure of Viggo.

"You sound very cocky when you say that," Hiccup observed, still holding a straight face.

"Yes, you don't seem to have picked up on why I brought you here, hm? Too busy glaring at me to notice this fine fellow beside me," Viggo replied, gesturing to the dragon-proof cage next to him, where a Changewing sat with his jaws tied shut. Hiccup's eyes widened and his cheeks grew slightly red – Viggo was right, he'd only just noticed that. "Yes, I thought so. Oh dear, Hiccup, getting a bit behind on our Maces and Talons game are we? Nevermind, all that will be in the past soon."

"What are you getting at Viggo?" Hiccup asked, sternly. Viggo chuckled.

"You are one of the most knowledgeable in the archipelago and beyond when it comes to dragons, Hiccup. I'm sure you can work it out! Come on, name some characteristics of a Changewing." For a few seconds Hiccup only glared in return, until he reluctantly obliged. 

"Able to camouflage with their surroundings, can spew out burning acid-"

"Yes yes, all true, but you're missing the most important one," Viggo smirked, watching in amusement as Hiccup's mind raced, until suddenly he got it and his eyes widened in shock. Viggo couldn't help but chuckle darkly. "Yes, well done, Hiccup," Viggo said smugly.

"Hypnosis is not a very Males and Talons-like move is it though, Viggo," Hiccup retorted, trying to look as calm as possible while in reality, his heart was trying to pump its way out of his chest, and sweat started to form on his forehead. Viggo chuckled again darkly, thoroughly enjoying this.

"True, but does that really matter at the moment, Hiccup? See, I am here, on my own heavily guarded ship, and you are there, on said heavily guarded ship, with your hands in manacles. You don't have much of a choice," Viggo explained, getting to his feet and approaching his prisoner. Hiccup heard Ryker moving behind him but decided to glare at Viggo instead, but soon he wished he hadn't. Ryker wrapped rope around Hiccup's chest, tying his upper body to the chair he sat on, destroying any faint chance of an escape.

"Really Viggo? Why is it necessary to tie me to the chair? As you just said, I have no hope of escape. If you're really so sure of what you just said, why tie me?" Hiccup glared, testing the ropes Ryker just tied. Viggo ignored the question and nodded to Ryker, who promptly lifted the chair and placed it in front of the caged Changewing. Hiccup immediately stared at his prosthetic leg, making sure not to make eye-contact with the dragon. Ryker grabbed Hiccup's hair and pulled it, earning a grunt from Hiccup as his head jerked upwards. He shut his eyes, still not making eye-contact with the dragon. He heard Viggo growl in frustration.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Hiccup?" Viggo exclaimed, and Hiccup heard a dagger unsheath and footsteps coming towards him. "Open your eyes, or you die." Viggo pressed the dagger onto Hiccup's throat, causing Hiccup to gasp slightly, but then he scowled.

"I will never consciously let myself be hypnotised by you, for the sake of the other Riders, even if it costs me my life!" He replied, struggling to talk with the blade against his throat. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep his eyes shut as the dagger began drawing blood. Then suddenly, out of Hiccup's control, his eyes opened. Hiccup gasped, realising he was staring right into the Changewing's eyes, internally screamed at his brain to close them again, but it was too late. Hiccup slumped in the chair, and both the Grimborn brothers let go of him and looked at each other.

"How did you know he would open his eyes?" Ryker asked his younger brother. Viggo smirked at Hiccup's face and looked up at his fellow Dragon Hunter.

"The human brain is a complicated organ, but when life is at stake, it will go against the will of the person to save itself, as demonstrated. Hiccup wanted to keep his eyes shut, yet they opened, out of his control." Viggo answered. Ryker stared it him, shocked. "Oh, close that mouth of yours and let's get on with this," He looked back at the skinny figure on the chair. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, I am your leader. Ryker is your leader. You are a fellow Dragon Hunter; dragons and those who ride them are our enemies – your enemies. They want to kill you and you must fight back, even if it means ending their lives." Viggo finished his sentence and smirked. "You can put him in the guest room until he wakes up," Viggo said, walking back to his desk.

"Why not in a cell, brother? We don't want him to escape," Ryker asked while untying the ropes. Viggo looked at him and slightly cocked his head to the side.

"Have you not been listening to what I just said? You must treat him well, brother. Because, from today onwards, Hiccup Haddock is a Dragon Hunter."


	2. Chapter 2

Astrid's eyes flickered open to see Fishlegs looking worriedly at her. _Where am I?_ she puzzled, sitting up on the forest grass.

"Astrid? What happened?" Fishlegs asked, concern clear in his voice. Astrid looked around, at Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, Stormfly, Meatlug, Toothless. _Where's Hiccup?_ She stood up and examined the clearing, noticing how the trees were beautifully lit up by the sunrise. Then it all came back to her. She looked at her shoulder, recognised the blow-gun arrow and hurriedly pulled it out. "Astrid?" Fishlegs repeated, followed by a grunt from Toothless. She sighed.

"Hiccup and I were taking a walk in the woods alone. When we got here, we uh… well…" Astrid trailed off, remembering that the others didn't know about the status of her relationship with Hiccup.

"You what?" Fishlegs inquired, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"Doesn't matter. All that matters is that I got shot in the shoulder with this," At this, she threw the arrow away angrily, "And I was out cold. That's all," She walked to the worried Toothless and scratched him under the chin. "But whoever ambushed us took Hiccup, so we have to go after them,"

"Uh, yeah, the thing is, we don't even know who took him," Snotlout replied, arms folded. Astrid looked up at him.

"How many people do you know that would kidnap Hiccup?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah okay, that's true. It was probably the Hunters. When do we leave?" Snotlout replied, mounting Hookfang.

"Wait does this mean we get to blast some of Viggo's ships?" Tuffnut asked excitedly. Astrid facepalmed. 

"Yes Tuff, we get to blast Viggo's ships. But that isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is getting Hiccup back. He is our leader, he would never wait for a second to rescue any of us. We depend on him, and more than that, I depend on him." Astrid blurted out, then blushed as she realised what she had said. She hurriedly mounted Stormfly.

"Wait! Astrid, shouldn't we come up with a plan first?" Fishlegs shouted, also having mounted Meatlug.

"Fishlegs, we have our dragons. And we have weapons for close combat. What more do we need?" Astrid replied, getting slightly impatient. Toothless walked up to her, purring miserably.

"I'm sorry Toothless, you can't come with us. But I promise we'll bring him back. You look after the Edge, okay?" And with that she took off, muttering to herself:

"Don't worry, babe, I'm coming for you,"

~~~

Viggo stood on the deck of the lead ship just off the coast of his base, gazing out over the water.

"So, brother, what's our plan for when the Riders attack to try to rescue Hiccup?" Ryker asked, walking up behind him.

"Hiccup should wake up before the attack. He knows their strategy ten times better than we do. With his help, we can hold them off until we get a proper plan to wipe them out entirely. Hiccup is our bargaining chip, as is the sentiment of the Riders." Viggo replied, only turning around when the squeaking of a metal leg could be heard approaching. "Ah, hello Hiccup!"

"Hello Sir, what's all the commotion about?" Hiccup replied, rubbing his head as if he had a slight headache.

"No need to call me Sir," Viggo replied, trying not to smirk "Call me Viggo. And we're preparing for the Riders' attack. Maybe you can help us with that. You do know their tactics well, don't you?"

"Yes, Viggo, sir. Knowing Astrid, she'd take the lead. Meaning that Ruff, Tuff and Fishlegs will probably engage the ships while she and Snotlout remain undercover and surprise attack, or sneak into the ships trying to get whatever they're attacking for. Judging by the winds, they'll be attacking from North-east, but they will each stay in cloud cover until they attack. They'll think they'll have the advantage in the element of surprise, though that might not be the case." Hiccup thought out. He paused "What are they attacking for, actually?"

"They're here for you," Viggo said nonchalantly, approaching the one-legged Viking "They're going to try and capture you, though they think they're rescuing you, that we were the ones kidnapping you,"

"What? That's ridiculous?!" Hiccup exclaimed, genuinely laughing.

"I know. Oh, and they might try and rescue some of the dragons we have caged below deck. But, never mind that, let's talk tactics. How are we going to beat them?" Viggo replied, playing along. Hiccup thought for a moment, then his face lit up.

"I might have an idea," He turned to Viggo, a dark smirk on his face.

~~~

After what felt like forever to Astrid, she spotted Viggo's fleet of ships in the water.  
"Ok, guys, we're here. Our main priority is getting Hiccup safely out of there. Fishlegs take out the catapults. Ruff and Tuff, you cover him and take out the archers. Snotlout, you're coming with me, we're going to get your cousin back." Astrid, ordered, looking around to see if everyone understood, then dived out of the clouds with the others. Fishlegs and Meatlug attacked first, blasting the catapults while the twins and their Hideous Zippleback blew up rows of archers. Snotlout and Astrid hovered out of range.

"So, which ship would Hiccup be on?" Snotlout asked, unusually sensible.

"Lead vessel probably, as close as possible to Viggo and as heavily guarded as possible. They'll be expecting us, so we have to be careful. Ready?" Astrid replied.

"Thought you'd never ask," said Snotlout determinedly, heading for the main ship. Within minutes they had cleared the deck.

"Let's go in," Astrid said, flipping open the hatch and jumping in with Stormfly "Cover me, only come in to help if you hear me shout."

"Got it," Snotlout replied, watching Astrid ready her axe and carefully start walking down the corridor, Stormfly close behind her. She crept past the prison cells, most of them caging Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares and a lone Changewing. Part of her wanted to try and release them too, but the other part that told her to find Hiccup first got the better of her. It was eerily quiet below deck, so much so that she almost thought she should turn and search a different ship. She continued on a bit more, finally reaching the door to Viggo's office. Without hesitation, she burst into the room. Hiccup was there alone, tied to a chair and looking at the ground.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, joyfully rushing towards her boyfriend.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted back, with pretend delight on his face. He watched her run towards her.

"Let me untie you," Astrid said once she was close enough. Hiccup paused, an evil smirk creeping on his face.

"No need," Hiccup said, suddenly leaping up from the chair, revealing that he had been holding the rope behind him. He unsheathed and ignited Inferno, grabbed a bola that had been placed conveniently near his feet and threw it at Stormfly's mouth. Astrid looked at him in horror, then back at Stormfly, who was trying to get the rope off.

"Hiccup? What in the name of Thor is going on?" Astrid demanded, instinctively gripping her axe.

"You know exactly what's going on," Hiccup answered, darkly, before charging at Astrid, sword held high. Astrid defended the blow, and the next, and the next. Her mind whirred while she fought. What has Viggo done to him? Suddenly she remembered the Changewing in the corridor. She gasped.

"Viggo hypnotized you!" She shouted, hoping she was loud enough to alert Snotlout, while blocking another blow from Hiccup's flaming sword.

"He most certainly did not," Hiccup scowled, delivering another blow, which Astrid skillfully dodged. "Stop talking and fight back!"

"Oh I will," she said, lowering her axe. "Stormfly, spine shot!" The Deadly Nadder immediately obeyed, shooting her spines at Hiccup, who tried to dodge. Astrid used the opportunity to cut the bola and mount her dragon.

"Now, Hiccup, hand over the keys to the dragons cells, or else Stormfly will shoot again," Astrid said, trying as hard as she could to act threatening, to tell herself that it wasn't Hiccup's fault this was happening, to ignore the panging in her heart when she saw her boyfriend treating her like an enemy.

"You wouldn't," Hiccup replied sinisterly, raising his sword again. Astrid scowled, lowering her axe. He was right, and he knew it. The two looked at each other in a tedious moment of silence, when all of a sudden Snotlout and a flaming Hookfang barged in, causing Hiccup to shield himself. Astrid scanned the room, spotted a ring of keys in the corner and flew out.

"Come on, Snotlout, let's go!" Astrid shouted. Snotlout turned around.

"What? Why aren't you getting Hiccup? He's right there!" Snotlout shouted back.

"I know, Snotlout. I'll explain in a minute. Trust me on this. We need to leave Hiccup and go," Astrid said, pain clear in her voice. Snotlout looked at her, confused, but reluctantly remounted Hookfang and followed Astrid into the corridor. She flew past the dragon cells, hurriedly unlocking each one before flocking out of the hatch with them, Snotlout and Hookfang following close behind. They flew up into the daylight, out of range of the archers, when Astrid suddenly noticed Fishlegs and the twins sprawled on the deck of the ship, tied up in nets with their dragons. Viggo stood among them, smiling unpleasantly at Astrid.

"Had a bit of a nasty surprise below deck, did we? I thought maybe Hiccup would like a bit of company, so unless you want to join him and the rest of your friends with me below deck, I recommend you clear out!" Viggo called up, tauntingly. Astrid scowled and tightened her grip on Stormfly's saddle. She glanced around at the situation and saw it was hopeless to attack now, so nodded to Snotlout and took to the clouds. Below Viggo chuckled. "Shame really, eh, Fishlegs? I thought they'd put up more of a fight. Never mind, let's get you below deck and locked up shall we?" Viggo approached the Ingerman boy, when all of a sudden spines landed in front of him. He looked up to see Astrid leap off Stormfly, landing gracefully in front of him and struck, swinging her axe skilfully towards Viggo.

"That's more like it," Viggo muttered, drawing his sword in return to fight back. Blocking Astrid's blows and attacking in return, while Stormfly, Hookfang and Snotlout took out the other soldiers and freed the others. The fight continued, the two being equally strong, until Stormfly blasted the deck around Viggo, surrounding him while the others all mounted the dragons and flew off. Astrid looked back to the ship as they entered the clouds and watched as Hiccup climbed out of the hatch and talking to Viggo. Her heart ached as the realisation set in.

"Uh... it's all fine and dandy that we're up here, but wasn't the mission to get Hiccup back? Unless he's turned invisible," Tuffnut asked, looking around and reaching out in front of him as if it were dark. Astrid sighed, not bothering to comment on the male twin's stupidity.

"Hiccup was below deck. Viggo used a Changewing to hypnotise him into a Dragon Hunter," A gasp rippled through the other riders.

"What?! How could he?" Fishlegs exclaimed, then paused. "How are we going to get him back?" Astrid sighed again.

"I never thought I'd say this but," she paused, looking down at Stormfly's saddle. "But we're going to need to capture Hiccup Haddock."


	3. Chapter 3

"So, we need a plan. And not just any plan, but completely out the blue. Hiccup knows all of our usual strategies, that's how he got the better of us and almost won that last battle," Astrid announced, as the Riders gathered in the clubhouse.

"Or, we need to do something very predictable," Ruffnut chirped in. The others looked at her in confusion. "What? Hiccup and Viggo probably expect us to try to think like them and do something extraordinary. But if we do something overly predictable, that, my friends, will be the unexpected move." Ruffnut finished, looking very proud of herself. The others looked at her and blinked. Snotlout broke the silence by bursting out in laughter. 

"No, no, Ruffnut, let me tell you what that would be. That would be ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!" He continued laughing, only stopping when Astrid spoke up.

"Wait, Ruffnut, you might be right. If Hiccup and Viggo think we're going to try and think like them, then if we do something completely basic it'll catch them by surprise!" Astrid exclaimed, getting an idea and unrolling a map of Viggo's base.

"Wait, you guys actually like this plan?" Snotlout exclaimed.

"Shush Snotlout! So, where would be the one place that you wouldn't put Hiccup if you were Viggo?"

"Um… near the docks, where he'd be vulnerable?" Fishlegs replied.

"And where would the obvious place be, where Viggo would be expecting us?"

"Viggo's headquarters, or the dragon cells,"

"Exactly," replied Astrid, drawing a line in charcoal pencil on the map "So, step one, approach from North-east, scout the ships, make sure Hiccup isn't in there. I'll do that, I'm probably the most stealthy. Then we burn the ships to the ground. Ruff, Tuff, that's your job. Fishlegs, can you take out the dragon-proof ships? Then at least we would have done something to cripple Viggo, even if we don't manage to rescue Hiccup."

"Of course we can, can't we girl," Fishlegs replied, hugging Meatlug affectionately.

"Snotlout, you take out the guards at the docks, and if Hiccup isn't there, we stealthily make our way through the island. Where'd the next least likely place be?"

"Unguarded in the forest?" Snotlout asked, pointing at the trees labelled on the map.

"Right, so step two, scout the forest." Astrid drew a line from the docks to the forest. "I'd be surprised if we don't find him there, but if that happens, we fly out of range until we get just above Viggo's base. Is there anything I've missed?" Astrid looked around at the others, but none of them had objections. "Right, then let's get some rope and weapons," Astrid announced, rolling up the map and looking outside at the sunset. Toothless walked up to her and purred, and Astrid patted his head. "Don't worry Toothless, we're not going to leave you here again. We need you, you're the best cover in the night," Toothless crooned in reply, clearly approving. "And guys, just before we go, if this mission fails, we go straight to Berk." Astrid paused. "But it'd better work," She muttered as she mounted Toothless, signalling for Stormfly to follow. "Ready guys? Let's go!"

~~~

Viggo looked down at the map of his island, then at the Maces and Talons board thoughtfully.

"So what exactly are we doing, brother?" Ryker asked, frowning at the items on Viggo's desk.

"After their near-defeat this morning, the Riders are going to try and think like Hiccup and I. Try to play Maces and Talons. We can use this to our advantage-"

"Sir!" shouted a Dragon Hunter, opening the curtain to Viggo's headquarters. Viggo looked up and scowled.

"What is it?" He growled, making the Hunter cower slightly.

"The guards on the North-east of the island just reported that the northern shipyard has been completely burnt to the ground. Every last ship."

"And the dragon-proof ships?" Ryker questioned.

"Punctured, sunk or on fire," replied the Hunter, causing Ryker to growl and Viggo to frown.

"They're playing stealth, are they now?" Viggo thought aloud, then smiled slightly. "We'll play stealthy back." He turned to walk out of the tent.

"Where are you going?" Ryker called after him.

"I'm going to see how Hiccup's coming along," Viggo replied, walking out and heading for the forge. He heard the clank of the hammer on metal as he opened to see a rather sweaty-looking Haddock hammering an odd contraption. "So, how's your make-shift bola-launcher coming along?" Viggo asked, marvelling at the boy's workmanship. Hiccup looked up, only just noticing him.

"It's almost done." He replied, looking at the cross-bow-like weapon "I still need to add a few finishing touches-"

"No time, if it works, we need to use it. The Riders have attacked the shipyard and should be approaching through the forest right now. Go there ahead of me, and use your contraption. I will move my men to the edge of the forest so they can either stop them if they get passed you, or round them up if you succeed." Viggo ordered.

"Yes, Viggo, sir!" Hiccup saluted, grabbing the contraption and running out of the forge into the open air. He paused, feeling the cool wind as the darkness of night set in, then smirked and ran towards the forest.

~~~

Astrid's forehead furrowed in concentration as they entered the forest.  
"Let's spread out to cover more ground. But stay in sight of at least one other Rider. And remember, we're playing a stealth game here. Listen out for any sign of Hiccup or a Hunter. The aim is to capture Hiccup without hurting him. Everyone got their rope?" Astrid whispered, looking around at the nodding Riders. "Let's go then," Toothless walked straight ahead as the other Riders spread out and passed the treeline. The forest was eerily quiet, the leaves of the trees rustling ever so slightly in the breeze. Astrid gave Toothless a tiny pat, signally for him to pause. The two stood in silence, listening for any sign of life. Suddenly, a scream came from her left. She whipped around to see Snotlout and Hookfang tied up in bolas and lying on the floor. Fishlegs jumped off Meatlug and made their way over to untie them, only to find themselves wrapped in bolas too. Astrid looked around in shock. Where was the shooter? She felt Toothless' wings raise and heard Stormfly's spines stand upright ready to shoot. She looked over at the twins to her right, who were cluelessly looking around while sitting on Barf and Belch, until out of the nearest bush two bolas emerged, knocking Ruff and Tuff off their dragon.

"Aaaah! I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" Tuffnut shouted. So much for being stealthy. The Hideous Zippleback looked down at his riders in surprise, but within seconds, they too were tangled up in bolas. Astrid scowled and hopped off Toothless, grabbing her axe and approaching the bush where the bolas had emerged from. She signalled to Stormfly to help the others, while she crept up to where she assumed Hiccup would be. But before she got there, Hiccup made the first move, shooting a bola, which wrapped around her axe. Astrid continued nonetheless, dodging multiple bolas coming her way until she reached the bush. Hiccup looked up at her in surprise, then scowled. Astrid reached for the rope wound to the hem of her skirt, but to her surprise, Hiccup dropped the bola-launcher and unsheathed Inferno.

"You want to continue the fight we had below deck?" Hiccup asked, igniting the sword and smirking.

"Sure, why not?" Astrid played along, readying her axe. Hiccup struck first, bringing his sword straight down towards Astrid's head, and Astrid blocked. Astrid struck next, attempting to knock Hiccup off his feet, but Hiccup jumped over. Astrid fought skillfully, despite the bola on her axe weighing her down. The fight continued, Hiccup continuously striking to kill, whereas Astrid struck to knock him down. As time went by, Hiccup's eyes narrowed.

"Why aren't you striking to kill like I am?" Hiccup asked, clearly thinking aloud.

"That's not what I'm here for," Astrid replied, blocking another blow. She noticed Hiccup slightly cock his head to the side.

"What are you here for then?" Hiccup stopped attacking for a moment.

"This," said Astrid, swinging her axe around so the handle hit the side of Hiccup's head. Hiccup stood still for a moment, then crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Astrid watched, surprised at herself for doing that, but telling herself it had to be done. She suddenly noticed a thin red scar across his neck, as if someone had pressed a knife there a little too hard, but she reached for the rope on her belt regardless and tied Hiccup's wrists behind his back, then stood up and turned to the others. Stormfly had managed to untie all of them. "Thanks, girl," she said to her dragon "Ok, let's get Hiccup back to Berk."

"Why are we going to Berk? We don't need any more help in getting Hiccup back. He's right there!" Snotlout remarked, leaning against Hookfang's horn.

"Do you know anyone other than Gothi who can un-hypnotise Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, mounting Meatlug.

"Uh… I hypnotised Fishlegs before," he replied.

"Number one, Gothi was the one hypnotising. Number two, your hypnosis on Fishlegs didn't work out very well did it?" Astrid replied, also mounting Toothless, holding the unconscious Hiccup in her arms.

"It was fine." Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Thor Bonecrusher almost getting himself and you killed is not fine. Let's go to Berk." Astrid snapped, taking off, and the others immediately followed.


	4. Chapter 4

Stoick pushed open the door of his house and walked out towards the cliffs, yawning. Back to another day of chiefing, he thought, stretching before looking out at the sunrise. His forehead furrowed when he noticed dragon silhouettes approaching.

"Ah, good morning Stoick!" Gobber greeted, then followed his chief's gaze to see the silhouettes. "Were we expecting visitors today?"

"No, but I can tell that's Hiccup and the riders. And Hookfang is carrying someone in his claws." Stoick squinted, trying to see as far in the distance as possible.

"Eh?" Gobber questioned, also squinting into the distance.

"And that someone has a rather odd shaped left leg… Hiccup? Why would he need to be carried by Hookfang? Is he alright?" His forehead furrowed in concern.

"You'll have to wait until they arrive, Stoick. And don't worry, I'm sure Hiccup's fine," Gobber said, patting his friend on the shoulder before they both turned to go to the Great Hall.

~~~

Astrid led the Riders to land in front of the hollowed out mountain. She dismounted Toothless, then ran to catch Hiccup when Hookfang dropped him. It was then Stoick realised that Hiccup was tied up, and scowling horribly.

"What in the name of Thor is going on?" Stoick asked, approaching Astrid, who held Hiccup's arms quite tightly. Hiccup wriggled, trying to break free and grunting, but Astrid's grip was stronger.

"Viggo kidnapped Hiccup and used a Changewing to hypnotise him. He thinks he's a Dragon Hunter now and that we're the ones capturing him." Astrid replied between struggles to keep a firm grip on Hiccup. Stoick's eyes widened.

"Who dare he-" He began, face growing red with rage.

"Stoick, let's just get him to the prisons and get this sorted out. We can take revenge on Viggo later." Gobber patted him on the shoulder again, sensing his friend's anger bubbling up.

"Prisons? Why the prisons? He's my son!" Stoick exclaimed, not at all calming down.

"Uh, sir… he can be quite stubborn and violent. He was unconscious when we rescued him and as soon as he woke up in Astrid's arms, he started struggling. So much so that he ended up tumbling down into the sea. Hookfang had to catch him." Fishlegs interjected, glancing at Astrid, who had beads of sweat forming on her forehead from the effort to keep Hiccup under control. Stoick paused for a moment, looking from Astrid to his struggling son.

"Ok, you and the riders take him to a cell. I'll get Gothi." He sighed, mounting Skullcrusher, who had been patiently waiting beside Gobber. The riders took off, Snotlout now assigned to the tiring job of holding Hiccup.

~~~

Landing outside the prisons, Fishlegs went to the security shelf and got a key, while Astrid forced her boyfriend into a cell. She pushed the door shut and Fishlegs locked it.

"Why are you keeping me in here? Just kill me now!" Hiccup exclaimed, stumbling backwards onto the floor and wincing slightly.

"That's not why you're here, Hiccup, we're not trying to kill you," Astrid said, surprisingly soothingly. She noticed her heart pang as her boyfriend just glared at her. She turned away, trying to stop the tears rolling down her cheek.

Luckily, Stoick and Gothi soon arrived, marching into the prison and approaching Hiccup's cell. The one-legged Viking glared at the pair and shuffled backwards. Stoick looked at his son, noticing a flash of fear in his eyes. He glanced over at Astrid, who was sadly looking over her shoulder at Hiccup, and felt a pang of sympathy and empathy. He didn't expect this to happen, but he would never have thought that seeing Hiccup treat them like enemies would hurt so much.

"Ok, Gothi, what do you need?" Stoick asked the village doctor. Gothi paused in thought for a moment, looking at Hiccup. Then she pointed her staff at a chair which had been set aside for the guards, and then back at Hiccup. "You want Hiccup on the chair?"

"I think he'll have to be tied to the chair then, sir, he won't just sit there," Fishlegs commented nervously, causing Stoick to grunt. Snotlout unlocked the cell and Fishlegs brought the chair into it. Stoick picked up some rope and walked towards his son, but Hiccup made a break for it, running for the exit and ducking to avoid Fishlegs. Stoick reached out to catch his son, lifting him into the air and placing him on the chair. Fishlegs wound the rope around Hiccup's chest and tied it to the chair, though it wasn't an easy task. Then everyone stepped back, letting Gothi step forward. She held out her staff, moving it slowly in circles but Hiccup avoided looking at it. Stoick grunted again.

"Why does he have to be so stubborn? I can't imagine what it'd be like for Viggo when he kidnaps him, Hiccup can be unbearably strong-headed." He said, rubbing his head before stepping forward to help. Astrid continued to look over her shoulder at the situation, feeling torn and unable to help. On the one hand, she felt the strong urge to leave and cry alone, but on the other, she felt it was her duty to be around when this happened, and wanted to be there when we woke up back to normal again. Stoick held Hiccup's head as gently but firmly as possible while Gothi tried once again to hypnotise him. Finally, after minutes of trying, he slumped in his chair. Gothi nodded to Stoick, who knelt in front of his son. He sighed.

"Hiccup, I don't know what Viggo said to you when he hypnotised you. But this is the truth: you are my son, Toothless is your dragon, Astrid is your best friend, and so are the other riders. Viggo is your enemy, remember all the things he's done; capturing and torturing dragons, coming after not only you and the other riders, but the whole of Berk, all the innocent people here. He and his Dragon Hunters are what you have been relentlessly fighting against for so long, and I'm proud of you for that. Come back to us, son, we are not your enemies." Stoick sighed, trying hard not to get emotional. He looked at Gothi. "Will that suffice?" He asked, to which the answer was a nod. He took another look at the boy's face, noticing how he had calmed down and looked peaceful, almost happy.

"Thank you, Gothi," he nodded to the village doctor, who took this as a signal that her work was done and turned to leave.

~~~

Hiccup opened his eyes slowly to see Stoick, Astrid and the other Riders looking expectantly at his face. He blinked, suddenly noticing how uncomfortable he was. He wriggled, realising that he was tied up.

"What's going on? Why are you all staring at me? And why am I tied up?" Hiccup asked, forehead furrowing in confusion.

"Do you not remember anything from what has happened in the last 24 hours?" Astrid asked, kneeling down beside Hiccup and touching his thigh. Hiccup shook his head.

"W-what happened? Last thing I remember I was on Viggo's ship." He replied, then glanced over at his tied wrists and chest. "Could you untie me first, though? It's really uncomfortable." Astrid nodded, moving behind him to work on the knots. Within seconds they fell to the ground and Hiccup rubbed his wrists.

"So, what do you remember?" Stoick asked, still concerned as to what happened, but glad that his son seemed to be back to normal.

"Well, I guess it started the night that Astrid and I took a walk alone in the forest back on the Edge. Viggo and his men ambushed us, leaving Astrid unconscious and me, well, tied up and locked in a cell. Ryker came to get me and brought me to Viggo's office. We talked a bit, and next thing I remember he was pressing a dagger against my throat." Hiccup paused, tracing the scar on his neck. "That's… all I remember. What happened after that?" Stoick's eyes widened, then looked at Astrid for a further explanation.

"Viggo hypnotised you into a Dragon Hunter," Astrid explained. "He used you against us and almost got us all captured. But we managed to rescue you. Though you were extremely stubborn. You wouldn't keep still, kept on trying to wriggle out of our grip, even attacked us multiple times. We had to knock you out and tie you up to get you here. You don't remember any of that?" Now it was Hiccup's turn to widen his eyes. He shook his head. His expression turned from surprised to angry as he clenched his fists.

"Viggo," he muttered under his breath. Stoick noticed and placed his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yes, Hiccup, I agree something needs to be done with Viggo. First, he's cowardly enough to terrorise innocent Berkians and now he uses you against us. That's not fair, but wait until we have a solid plan to get back at him." Hiccup paused at his father's words, then looked up and nodded, smiling.

The reunion was suddenly interrupted when the warning horn sounded. Hiccup leapt up from the chair, rushing out of the prison cell and outside into the open. Gobber ran up to them, panting.  
"A fleet of ships headed this way, not a crest I've seen before. Hiccup! You're back to normal again!" He said, but before he could get a reply, Hiccup ran off to the cliffs, spyglass in hand. He brought the spyglass to his eye, squinting into it as it focused on the sail of the lead vessel, the Dragon Hunter crest clear. Astrid ran up behind him.

"Viggo," Hiccup muttered again.

"Viggo? But we sunk his whole shipyard before rescuing you!" Astrid exclaimed.

"He must have more than one shipyard," Hiccup replied, lowering the spyglass and looking over at Astrid "He won't get away with this, get the others – I have a plan." Astrid nodded, whistling for Stormfly. The other Riders and Stoick followed behind. "Ok, Viggo is expecting us to come straight on from Berk. But he isn't expecting us to turn up from behind, so we enter cloud cover unseen, go around and then attack from the rear. Ruff, Tuff, you take out the catapults. Snotlout, cover them. Astrid, you and Stormfly take out the archers and Fishlegs'll cover you. I'll take out the lead vessel." He watched as Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins took off on their dragons then turned around to see Astrid and Stoick smiling at him. "What?" Hiccup asked. Astrid giggled, blushing slightly.

"I think I speak for both of us when we say, it's nice to have you back, son," Stoick answered for her. Hiccup smiled and nodded.

"It's nice to be back. Now let's go," He said, taking off into the cloud cover with Astrid.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup looked down at Viggo's fleet and grimaced. "I'll teach you a lesson, Viggo," He muttered, hate building up in him. He heard the first ship exploding and couldn't stop the smirk creeping onto his face. "Man, have you got a surprise coming." He watched from above how the other Riders attacked, dodging enemy fire and firing back at every possible moment, leaving wooden ships half underwater and dragon-proof ships smoking. He scoured the decks for Viggo, spotting him on the deck of a ship in the centre of the fleet scowling. "There, Toothless, let's go," They soared over the battle, dodging arrows and flying boulders as they made their way to the lead vessel.

"Viggo!" Hiccup shouted when they were hovering over the ship. Viggo turned around to look at the pair, then smirked.

"Hello, Hiccup Haddock. Back in your right mind, I see? I do hope that your fellow Riders didn't hurt you too much while capturing you. I did enjoy my time working with you. Shall we do it again some time?" The man shouted up. Hiccup scowled.

"Never, not in this lifetime or the next!" Hiccup shouted back down at the man.

"Oh," Viggo sighed, faking disappointment. "Well, I guess if we can't see eye to eye on this... Fire!" At his last word, Hiccup and Toothless found themselves showered with arrows and boulders, which they skilfully dodged, circling the ship while firing back in Viggo's direction. Hiccup watched as Viggo walked towards the hatch, and pulled out a crossbow-like weapon. Hiccup gasped, shocked by the overwhelming feeling that he should know something about the weapon but couldn't place it. Viggo took advantage of his distraction and fired, the bola hitting Toothless and sending them both tumbling out of the sky and onto Viggo's deck. They landed with a crash, Hiccup flying across the deck leaving Toothless tangled in the bola. He stood up, glanced back at his helpless dragon, then unsheathed and ignited Inferno. Viggo stood a few yards off, smirking as dozens of his soldiers ran towards the boy with raised weapons. Hiccup fended them off, blocking blows, kicking soldiers away and knocking them out. He heard Toothless roar in distress but didn't dare turn around as he gradually became surrounded by Hunters. Until, suddenly, a sack slipped over his head, pulling him backwards onto the deck. He grunted, feeling his hands tied behind his back again and his prosthetic leg removed.

"Got him," He felt Ryker's breath through the material as he was pulled to his feet (well… foot).

"Alright, get the Changewing ready," Viggo shouted, urgency in his voice.

"There's no time for that! The Riders will notice what you're doing and try to rescue him. I'd say throw him overboard. He can't swim with his hands tied and one foot." There was a pause, but then Hiccup found himself being dragged along the deck, and the sound of the waves became louder.

"Toothless! Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, panic rising up in him, but only finding Ryker's hand slam into his face.

"Quiet! There may not be enough time to hypnotise you again, but I can still hurt you," Ryker growled, slapping the boy across the face before lifting him off his foot. "Goodbye, Haddock, have a nice swim," Hiccup gasped, suddenly wriggling and grasping at air. He heard Astrid shouting his name before he entered the water. He tried to shout back, but his mouth only filled with water. He felt himself sinking and desperately tried to wriggle out of the ropes and sack, but to no avail. He kicked, but it was barely having any effect and he was rapidly running out of energy. Unconsciousness threatened to take over, his vision going fuzzy as his body started to go numb, until everything turned black.

~~~

"Toothless! Astrid!" Astrid heard Hiccup's shout from the lead vessel and gasped.

"Guys, Hiccup's in trouble," she shouted to the others and flew over. Snotlout's mouth fell open, sinking one last ship before following along with the others. Astrid and Stormfly approached the ship, when Astrid's eyes fell on Ryker, dropping her tied up boyfriend into the sea.

"HICCUP!" A cry ripped from her throat as she watched Hiccup plunge into the water. "Stormfly, dive!" she ordered her dragon.

"Fishlegs, help Toothless! Ruff and Tuff, take out the remaining ships! I'll cover Astrid!" Astrid heard Snotlout shout before she followed Hiccup into the ice-cold ocean. She looked around frantically, until she spotted a limp figure sinking. She swam down, leaving Stormfly at the surface, ignoring the cramp starting in her leg. She grasped her boyfriend, her hands wrapping around his waist. Black spots appeared in her vision as she kicked, desperately reaching for the surface. The cramp in her leg got worse, until she started to drift downwards, Hiccup still in her arms. Darkness crept into her vision, as her final ounces of energy started to fade. She screamed, letting out the last of her oxygen. Her body fell limp, her mind only capable of thinking about the fact that she had failed Hiccup, but at least she would die alongside him and enter Valhalla together. But then Stormfly swam down, grabbing Astrid's arm with her claw and pulling them both up, Astrid barely conscious. Oxygen filled Astrid's lungs again and she gasped, looking up at her faithful Nadder.

"Thanks, girl," she whispered, climbing up onto her dragon's back, then looking down at her boyfriend. She untied his wrists and took the sack off his head. His eyes were shut, his face wet and vacant. "Hiccup?" She lowered her ear to his chest, fortunately hearing a slow but steady beat. "Hiccup? Are you breathing?" she said a bit louder now, shaking his body slightly.

"Astrid!" Stoick shouted, flying up to her on Skullcrusher, having heard her scream. His eyes fell on his son's limp body. "Is he alright?!"

"He's alive, but I don't know if he's breathing and he isn't responding." Stoick took his son in his arms and flew back towards Berk.

~~~

The first thing Hiccup realised when he started to wake up is that his face hurt, Ryker's slap still stinging his cheek. The next was that he was sopping wet, his bangs flopped on his forehead and in front of his eyes. A wet, sloppy tongue was licking his face, but stopped once Hiccup moved. His eyes fluttered open, blinking away the water and focusing on the ceiling above him.

"Hiccup?" He heard Astrid and Stoick say, almost in unison. He mustered enough energy to sit up from where he had been lying on his father's bed. Looking around, his eyes fell on all the other riders plus his father and dragon looking at him worriedly.

"W-what? Why am I here?" Hiccup asked, though as soon as the words left his mouth, it all flooded back.

"Ryker threw you overboard. Are you okay?" Astrid asked, kneeling down beside him, tempted to kiss him right then and there. Hiccup coughed, regurgitating sea-water as he did so.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hiccup smiled and stood up, giving Astrid, Stoick and Toothless a big hug. Then he paused. "What happened with Viggo?"

"Most of his fleet were retreating already before they'd captured you. Your plan on attacking from the rear caught them by surprise, and it seems their backup plan was drowning you." Snotlout explained, his expression not as arrogant as usual.

"So, Viggo retreated?" Hiccup asked, still leaning on Toothless for support.

"Yes, but he'll be back, I know he will," Stoick replied, fists tightening slightly.

"Yes, you're right. But I've been thinking. Like, really thinking. I might have an idea as to how we're going to steal the Dragon Eye. It'll take lots of planning and practice, but I think it really could work." Hiccup said, much to the surprise of the others.

"Wow, how long have you been planning this?" Astrid asked, surprised. Trust Hiccup to come up with an idea like this. She smiled to herself.

"Uhh… a couple of weeks now. That project Shellfire that Viggo's planning seems to be taking a long time, so I thought I'd think up our own attack. Then, maybe, we can strike before he does and cripple Viggo." Hiccup answered enthusiastically.

"Sounds good, though we can discuss that in the morning. Right now, we should probably turn in for the night. It's been a long day," Stoick replied, looking out at the sunset. The other riders nodded and headed out after saying goodnight, leaving Hiccup, Astrid and Stoick alone in the house. Stoick looked at the couple, sensing something more than just friendship growing between them, though he had seen it coming since Hiccup woke up from the coma 4 years back.

"Why don't you two find a nice spot on the cliffs and enjoy the sunset together?" Stoick smiled, nodding at the orange and pink sky.

"Good idea," Hiccup replied, smiling at Astrid before linking arms with her. "Shall we?" Astrid giggled, then followed her boyfriend out.

~~~

Hiccup lay down on the grass, Astrid's head resting on his chest as they both looked up at the colourful sky. He heard Toothless and Stormfly playing behind him and smiled.  
"Thanks for saving me," He said quietly, looking down at his girlfriend.

"It's fine, don't mention it," Astrid replied, smiling at Hiccup.

"No, really, I don't know how bad it must have felt for you to see me treat you like the enemy, especially when our relationship is just starting. And then you risked your life to dive down and save me when Ryker threw me overboard." Hiccup said, stroking Astrid's hair.

"Ok true, it felt bad. But, admit it, you would have done the same for me," Astrid whispered, knowing she was right. Hiccup laughed.

"Also true," He shifted Astrid's head so she lay on the grass next to him, then turned on his side to face her.

"What are you doing? Don't you want to look at the sunset?" Astrid asked teasingly.

"I'd rather look at your face than a sunset any day," Hiccup answered, laughing as he pulled Astrid towards him and their lips met. Hiccup held Astrid's waist and Astrid's hand rested in his hair and the kiss pressed on.

Hiccup didn't know what would've happened if Astrid hadn't rescued him from Viggo, and he didn't know what would have happened if she hadn't dived down into the sea to save him. But the one thing he did know at that moment, was that he never wanted the kiss to end.


	6. Epilogue

Ryker flung the curtain aside and marched into Viggo's chamber, glaring at his younger brother. Viggo sat at his desk, staring at the Dragon Eye and Maces and Talons board in front of him, not acknowledging his entrance.

"So?" Ryker demanded, getting angrier by the second.

"So what?" Viggo snapped, his usual etiquette gone.

"We let the riders get Hiccup back, lose a shipyard's worth of ships, sail to Berk, lose another shipyard's worth of ships, fail to drown Hiccup, and you say so what?!" Ryker shouted, slamming his fist down on the desk.

"You mustn't forget Project Shellfire. The plans must still be finished." Viggo replied, trying to regain his composure.

"That's what you always say. Don't forget Project Shellfire, remember Project Shellfire, finish Project Shellfire. Every time we try to defeat the riders it fails, every time you let them get away and every time you use Project Shellfire as your safety net. If it's anything like your other plans, it'll fail too. Then what? You'll have no safety net!" Ryker replied, still shouting.

"We don't know for sure that Hiccup survived that…" Viggo tried to change the subject.

"You may not, but I do." Ryker snapped back. "I saw the lass and her dragon emerge from the water with him, I saw her place her ear on his chest, I saw that momentary look of relief on her face when she heard his heartbeat. I saw!"

"You have to admit, my plan to use the Changewing worked perfectly. We almost had all the riders in our grip," Viggo replied, starting to get afraid of his older brother.

"Yes, but you didn't. Every time it's almost, but they defeat us again. And then you sent Hiccup out unguarded into the woods! You put too much faith in that boy and look where it got us. If you had sent me, or any of our men with him, we could be having a very different conversation right now." Ryker leant against the desk, glaring into his brother's eyes. "You failed Viggo, you keep on failing, and I've had enough!"

"Trust me, brother, Project Shellfire will not fail. We've spent months planning this and there's still more planning to do. We will succeed." _We will succeed? How is this any different from the other plans? It'll fail just like the others, unless… Unless…_ An idea sparked in Ryker's brain, and his angry face calmed a little.

"If you say so, brother," Ryker muttered, turning to leave and chuckling to himself as soon as he was out of earshot. He ambled out to the pit used as a building site for the big dragon-proof submarine.

"Project Shellfire." Ryker chuckled again, stopping at the edge of the pit. "There's going to be some changes around here..."


End file.
